By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 16 – It’s all kicking off in Lille. That was the message spread across social media on Wednesday – but sadly it was not referring to events on the field. Despite all the pleas and warnings and an apparent alcohol ban, England fans were again at the heart of city centre disorder as police made 36 arrests in the northern French city where supporters had been congregating ahead of today’s clash with Wales 40 kms away in Lens.
Although the trouble did not reach the mayhem of last weekend in the southern city of Marseille, where English fans were involved in three days of trouble in the buildup to their team’s infamous opening game with Russia, riot police had to disperse English supporters late into the evening, occasionally using tear gas.
According to agency reports, police had to protect several thousand French fans who come out to watch the France vs Albania game in an official fan zone, forming a shield to keep rampaging England fans away.
Lille was the venue for Russia’s second game, against Slovakia, earlier in the day, and there had been fears the city would suffer further clashes between Russian and England fans who brought shame on the tournament last weekend.
Russia, responsible for disgraceful scenes inside Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, were handed a suspended disqualification by UEFA but appeared to have heeded the warning, a flare in the final 10 minutes of the Skovakia game being the only notable example of misconduct. Russian and Slovakian fans, meanwhile, mingled peacefully outside the stadium before and after the game.
Instead the focus was very much back on England fans who this time could not blame hardcore Russian supporters yet once again seem to have taken the law into their own hands in city centres which, crucially, do not come under UEFA’s jurisdiction. Many were heard chanting anti-Russian slogans and singing about British pilots shooting down German planes in World War II.
With France still in a state of emergency because of the threat of terrorism, using police resources to break up outbreaks of hooliganism was the last thing the authorities needed.
Meanwhile Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador in Moscow to protest the detention of Russian fans in southern France who had been travelling to Lille for the Slovakia game.
The ministry said the decision by the Marseille prosecutor to hold the Russians for 48 hours pending investigation was “discriminatory”.
It warned that “further fanning of anti-Russian sentiments over our team’s participation in the European Championship could significantly strain the atmosphere of Russian-French ties” though Russia will almost certainly be out of the competition anyway if they lose their last group game to Wales.
The potential for further unrest remained an urgent priority for French authorities with rival English and Welsh supporters en route to Lens for today’s all-important clash in the smallest city of the tournament where authorities hope the alcohol ban will stick.
UEFA, it should be pointed out, also warned England that they, like Russia, could also be expelled from the tournament if there is any more unrest.
English FA chairman Greg Dyke may have been right when he told Uefa that England fans were not to blame for the sickening scenes inside the Stade Velodrome in Marseille but that was certainly not the case in Lille.
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